Steamed fish may be a favourite at Chinese restaurants, but it’s easy to make it yourself at home, especially if you have a batch of onion-garlic oil at the ready. Try this beginner-friendly recipe as an introduction—it’s simple enough to practice with, and you can experiment with different flavours and garnishes as you go along.
Steamed fish with onion-garlic oil
by Chew Swee PeakSteamed fish may be a favourite at Chinese restaurants, but it’s easy to make it yourself at home, especially if you have a batch of onion-garlic oil at the ready. Try this beginner-friendly recipe as an introduction—it’s simple enough to practice with, and you can experiment with different flavours and garnishes as you go along.
Servings: 4
Prep time: Quick
Servings: 4
Prep time: Quick
Ingredients
1 whole white pomfret, gutted and cleaned (about 500g)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 stalk Chinese parsley, chopped
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
2 tbsp onion-garlic oil
Directions
- Rub salt and ground white pepper all over the pomfret and set on a heat-proof plate to marinate briefly while setting up the steamer.
- Whether using a multi-tiered steamer or a wok-and-steamer-basket setup, pour at least 5cm of water into the base. Switch on the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.
- Place the plate of fish into the steamer basket and cover, then place the whole thing above the steaming water. Lower the heat to medium and steam the fish for 15 minutes. If the fish is on the thicker side, add another 5 minutes to the steaming time.
- Turn off the heat and uncover the steamer basket, pulling the lid towards you so the steam escapes away from you. Once the initial gust of steam escapes, remove the plate of fish from the steamer basket.
- You can leave the fish on the plate it was steamed on, or transfer it to a serving plate. Sprinkle chopped Chinese parsley and spring onion over the fish, along with the onion-garlic oil.
Tips
- If white pomfret is unavailable, try other pomfret varieties. Siakap (barramundi) is good substitute too, though ask the fishmonger to scale it for you—scaling fish at home is a messy affair even for seasoned cooks.
- Use oven mitts or a pair of folded tea towels when placing and removing the steamer basket. This will help protect your hands from the steam.
Ingredients
1 whole white pomfret, gutted and cleaned (about 500g)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 stalk Chinese parsley, chopped
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
2 tbsp onion-garlic oil
Directions
- Rub salt and ground white pepper all over the pomfret and set on a heat-proof plate to marinate briefly while setting up the steamer.
- Whether using a multi-tiered steamer or a wok-and-steamer-basket setup, pour at least 5cm of water into the base. Switch on the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.
- Place the plate of fish into the steamer basket and cover, then place the whole thing above the steaming water. Lower the heat to medium and steam the fish for 15 minutes. If the fish is on the thicker side, add another 5 minutes to the steaming time.
- Turn off the heat and uncover the steamer basket, pulling the lid towards you so the steam escapes away from you. Once the initial gust of steam escapes, remove the plate of fish from the steamer basket.
- You can leave the fish on the plate it was steamed on, or transfer it to a serving plate. Sprinkle chopped Chinese parsley and spring onion over the fish, along with the onion-garlic oil.
Tips
- If white pomfret is unavailable, try other pomfret varieties. Siakap (barramundi) is good substitute too, though ask the fishmonger to scale it for you—scaling fish at home is a messy affair even for seasoned cooks.
- Use oven mitts or a pair of folded tea towels when placing and removing the steamer basket. This will help protect your hands from the steam.
